Tile-buttering machine



R., A. KUEHNER Filed June 16, 1941 TILE BUTTERIENG MACHINE 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 BYv faber! #Med/@eher Attorney Sept. 14, 1943. R. A. KUEHNERy 2,329,378-

TILE BUTTERING MCHNE I Filed June 16, 1941 2 Sheets-Shegt 2 NVENTR. foberz We/f hei/fer BY wl/L4 yg W y @Hor/rey disadvantages.

Patented Sept. 14,v 1943 OFFICE* riLnLBUTTERING MACHINE I Y Robert Albert Kuehner, Detroit, Mich. Application Junefie, 1941, serial No. 398,275

` Claims.

This invention relates' to equipment used in the decorative tile setting'trade, and has .para ticular reference to a device for buttering tile preparatory to setting it in iinal positionifor use. It hasbeen the practice heretofore in this art to .butter the ktile by hand. This operation is usually performed by a tile setters helper. The helper generally holds the tile in one hand with the back of the tile toward him, and a small quantity Oicement is skimmed or buttered onto the back of the tile and itis then handed' to the tile setter for placing on the wall'or other surface.

The rnanualv buttering of the tile has many impossible ior the helper to manually butter the tile with any degree of uniformity.` Either he gets too much on or not enough. Often times too much cement on the buttering sore lingers, known in the trade as strawberries. Such a condition is impossible when this machine is used to butter the tile, because the cement is skimmed on evenly and a narrow marginal area is left free of cement at either side so that the operators can handle" the tile Without coming in contact with the cement.l

A further object of the invention is vto generally improve the setting oftile for in addition to the general uniformity obtained in using this device to butter sults because there is an ample amount of cement on each tilewhere it is most needed.f

The foregoing and otherV objects and advan` tages of the invention Will appear as the description proceeds, reference being made from time to time to the accompanying drawings,-in which: Y

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a bodying myfinvention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken through the device illustrated in Fig. 1. ,p

Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially on the line 3 3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a section taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is asection taken line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig, 6 is a perspective has been buttered in Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, it will be seen that in the embodiment herein disclosed (Fig. 1) my device consists generally of a rectangular box or body portion 1, comprisdevice emsubstantially on the View of a tile after it with the device illustrated For example, it is diflicult if not back of the tile inv thek operation causes the helper to get the tile, a much stronger wall re` clined inner wall as screws 8. The side 1a is hinged as at vI8 tothe bottom 1d. The box 1 serves as ahousingfor the mechanical elements .hereinafter described. Superimposed on the box 1 aretwo hoppers 9 and I0. The hopper 9 is intended to holdv a plurality of tile` I l, and the hopper ID is adapted to hold a quantity of Portland cement or neat cement I2, with which the tile II is to be but-- tered. Thehopper I 0 is provided with an in- I3, Asorthatthe cement I2 may be fed through a restricted opening I4'in the bottom of the hopper. The back wall of the hopper 9 has aout-out portion I5 so that a plurality of tile may beplaced in the hopper by hand.

Thef'tile II are fed from the I bottom ofA the hopper 9 onto thetrack along the upper edges of the box 1.

corrosive material, and is secured in position by screws I 'ly or other suitable means. The elevated party I 6a of the track I 6 is preferably made separate from the base portion I 5b, so that the back member 1a of the box 1 maybe movedoutward to accommodate wider tile, and so that at the back may be swung open on the hinges I8 (Fig. 2) in order that access may be had to the mechanicaly parts of the device, hereinafter explained. The hinged back 1a is normally held in closed position by the springs I9 which are secured at either end to the reinforcing members 1e.

The hoppers 9 and I0 are provided with slotted supporting arms 20 which are adapted to engage threaded members 2I vpositioned on the front member 'la of the box 1. Wing nuts 22 engage the threaded members 2I and permit different degreesof adjustment for height to be made between the hoppers 9 and I0and the box 1. This is done to accommodate tile of various thicknesses.

The cement hopper I 0 is provided on its two sides and on the back with rubber strips 23 which are adjustably secured in place by angular members 24. The rubber strips 23 prevent the cement from being extruded between the lower peripheral edges of the hopper and the tile. The rubber strips 23 on either side of the hopper II) overhang the sides of the tile, so that an area of approximately one-quarter of an inch along each side of the tile is left free of I6, which is positioned The track I6 ispreferably made of brass or other nonthe cement. This v between his thumb and ngers without danger of havingthe cement contact his'ngers.

The leading edge of the hopper I() (Fig. 1) yis provided with an adjustable blade 25 so that different degrees of clearance may be had between the edge of the blade 25 and the tile. This enables the operator to adjust the thickness of the layer of cement to be placed on the tile. The blade 25 is secured to the hopper I0 by bolts and wing nuts 26, or other suitable means.

Positioned in the rear of the box 1 and immediately below the hopper S, is the driving mecha-g Y nism which moves the tile from the hopper 9 to and under the hopper l0, to be buttered l 'Ilie`4 bodiment shown in Fig. 2, the dogs 35 are pro` videdgwith laterally extending pins 36 which are intended to ride on top of a slotted metal; meme ber 31 Which covers the cut-out portion 38 formed inthe top member 1c.

The operation of the device is as follows. A plurality of tile l I is placed in the hopper 9 with their finished faces disposed toward the bottom. The crank 33 is then turned until the dogs are in the position shown in Fig. 2, sothat the bottom tile may drop from the hopper 9 onto the track I6. As the crank 33 continues to rotate, one of the dogs 35 engages the back of` the tile positioned on the track l6 moving it toward the hopper I0; When the first tile has reached a position so-that it is no longer actuated by the dog 35', thesecond lower-most tile then drops into position on the track I6 and the operation is repeated. As the second tile moves from its position immediately below the hopper 9 toward the hopper Ill, it advances the tile immediately ahead of it in thedi.-

rection or" the hopper lil. As` the third tile is advanced from beneath the hopper 9, the tile which was first mov'ed willarrive at a position immedi.-

ately below the hopper IG. When that condition is arrived at, the hopper Ii) is loaded` with neat cement and the work of buttering the tile is commenced. It will be noted thatV the cement is `never placed in the hopper I0 until the first tile position for iinal use. `peatedfuntila sufiicient number Vof has been advanced to its position beneath the hopper 9 so that none of the cement may escape unintentionally from the hopper I0. After the hopper `I0 is filled with cement, the blade 25 is adjusted so that the desired thickness of cement may be placed on the first tile. y

As each successive tile is dropped fromthe hopper 9 onto the track I6 and is advanced by means of the dogs 35, it advances the tile immediately in front of it. As each tilev passes beneath the hopper i0-, it is coated orbuttered with a. uniform layer of cement. As the first advanced tile lreaches the end of the track i6, it is removed from the device by the operator and placed in The operation is then retile have nbeen buttered HavingA described. my invention, what I claim andvdesire to secure b y Letters Patent is:

1. In a deviceof the character described, the combinationv of. av hopper for dispensing tile, a hopper" for dispensing cement, al housingffor sup; porting both.l of saidihoppers, a track. which extends alongisaid" housingi beneathl said hoppers; means to7 propelV the tile beneaththef dispensing area of said: last mentioned hopper. `said lasti men-L tioned'hopperhaving adjustable means for applyingl a predetermined thickness of cement to. the tile dispensed `from said first hopper, andmeans associatedwith saidhousing for varying the. width of saidtrack, said means including a. movablewall ,comprisingpartl of saidr housing.

2. The combination defined'in claim 1, infwhich the cement dispensing hopper. is providedswith an adjustable wiping bladealong one edgev of its dispensing area,iand resilient padsialong the other.` sides'of said' area.

3. The'combination denedin claim 1, inzwhicli there are means for regulating theV clearance between the hoppers vand saidl track; saidmeans comprisingv adjustable supporting brackets for the'hoppers..

4. The fcombinat-iondefined inclaim` 1, in'which the said propelling means comprise sprockets and achainrthe saidy chainhavingrelatively soft dogs at spaced intervals thereon,` said dogs being adapted to'V contactA the tile dispensed from said first. named hopper; andr` advance thetiie. along saidtrack. y

5; The combinationA dened in claim 1, inwhich the saidhousingfhas' ahinged'si'demember, which said hingedsidemember supports one element of the said track, wherebythe said track may be adjnstedfor varying Widths.y

ROBERT ALBERTKUEHNER'. f 

